More lights than expected at new Exit 6

Q: I am very impressed with the design of the new Exit 6 “SPUI” bridge in Latham, and am pleased at how quickly and efficiently the construction has been going these past few months.

However, there is one thing which I can’t help but notice, which is confusing to me: In all the plans I have seen for this new type of SPUI intersection, the designs all show only one central set of traffic lights directly in the middle of the intersection. But at the one at Exit 6 in Latham, there appear to be newly-constructed traffic signals on the outermost off-ramps (the ramps which drivers would use to turn right when exiting from the Northway.)

I thought that the whole purpose of SPUI intersections was specifically intended to regulate traffic from just one central set of traffic signals, thus letting drivers who want to turn right the ability to exit the interstate without having to stop. (Only yielding, in other words).

Am I not envisioning something correctly here? Or are these steel poles perhaps just for overhead signs pointing motorists to their destinations?

— Anthony B. Martino, Cohoes

A: The interchange opened Sunday, shortly after we got the answer to your question.

(And to the uninitiated, SPUI stands for Single Point Urban Interchange, the type of intersection built at Exit 6.)

There will be signals to allow pedestrians to cross and to direct cars when to turn right, said Peter Van Keuren, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. (Yes, we did write last week that Van Keuren is retiring. He answered your question before his last day in the office on Wednesday.)

“The poles located adjacent to the on-ramps will support signals to facilitate pedestrians crossing the ramp safely,” he said. “The only time they will cycle through a red phase is when a pedestrian activates them by pressing the crossing button.”

The poles next to the off-ramps will guide traffic turning right as they exit the Northway, Van Keuren added.

“It is true that the main signal will be at the middle of the bridge, controlling through and left-turning traffic,” he said. “However, one reason for the improved traffic flow is that all signals work together and communicate with one another. The Exit 6 project includes these features to enhance the safety of pedestrians crossing not only the right turn ramps at the interchange but also a protected pedestrian crossing of Route 7 and Forts Ferry Road to the west of the interchange.”